Conceptual Seismic Design of Regular Frames Based on the Concept of Uniform Damage

The objective of this study was to propose a seismic design methodology for moment-resisting frames to limit the extent of structural damage and distribute this damage uniformly along the height. This permits the efficient utilization of the energy dissipation capacity of most structural members to avoid undesirable dynamic responses, e.g., the formation of story mechanisms and/or the amplification of story drifts caused by P-delta effect. The proposed methodology is based on the utilization of seismic design lateral load patterns to obtain a uniform distribution of story ductility ratios along the height. It is demonstrated that, on average, frame structures designed based on the proposed approach exhibit a more uniform distribution of story ductility and story drift ratios when compared to the distributions obtained using current U.S. seismic code provisions. Designs based on the proposed approach are expected to provide increased protection against global collapse and loss of life during a strong earthquake event.